Dance of the Ladybug
by stephaniebithell
Summary: 200 years ago, Paris was plagued with super villains attacking almost daily. This was the work of Hawkmoth, a man so mad with power he wanted to rule the world. Lucky for the citizens of Paris there were 5 beings who were imbued with magical powers, Volpina the Fox, Tortue de Fer the Turtle, Queen Bee the Bee, Chat Noir the Black Cat and Ladybug. The final battle found the her
1. Of Bugs and Bees

"Pick up those feet ladies!" Tikki said, watching the girls as they practiced another one of her impossible point combos, "Alya! Straighten that leg! Good Chloe! Rose keep in time! Alright we will call it there for the day ladies".

"Does she always have to do the leg killer combo at the end of the day?" Marinette asked Alya,

"Just be glad she doesn't make us do them at the beginning of the day instead, then we would be dead" laughed Alya.

"Don't be such a child Marinette" Chloe sneered as she walked past on her way out of the classroom.

"Oh, before you go ladies, a quick reminder that the roles for our end of year performance will be announced tomorrow" Tikki called out to the retreating bodies.

"Oh I wonder which one we will be doing this year" Lila said, "Swan Lake? Or maybe the Nutcracker?"

"Nah we did those 2 years ago. Maybe it will be one of their original dances?" Marinette wondered.

"You will just have to find out tomorrow ladies, now off with you" Tikki chided.

"Yes madam." They chorused back.

As the girls walked to the changing room to get back into their street clothes they saw the boys leaving the other studio.

"Get out of here before I make you do another combo class kids!" a voice rang out as the boys sped out of the room.

"Plagg is going to kill me one day, I swear!" Adrien complained to Nino as they walked past Marinette and Ayla, "Hi ladies, good class? I hope Tikki was nicer than Plagg today"

"I heard that Agreste, should I show you just how mean I can be kid?" Plagg asked as he leaned against the doorway, "No thanks Plagg, I don't think I could take another impromptu boot camp, you actually made me consider quitting ballet last time" Adrien said, a shiver ran through his body remembering the brutal 10 hour boot camp Plagg had sprung on him last summer. "Yeah but just look how great your jumps are now, compared to where they were last year" Plagg grinned.

"Enough Plagg, leave the poor boy alone and seeing as you have the time to do nothing you can help me make the final decisions for the roles tomorrow" Tikki reprimanded as she walked out of her studio.

"Oh come on Tikki! I was just having some fun with them, giving them motivation and offering some help, if they wanted it" Plagg begged.

While their teachers were distracted, Adrien, Nino, Marinette and Alya took the opportunity to run for their lives before they got caught up in another heated argument between the two.

After getting changed Marinette said her goodbyes for the night as they all went their own way and started to walk towards her apartment in downtown Paris. She was very lucky that her parents had insisted on paying for the loft so that she was closer to the dance studio, smiling as she recalled the studio, Marinette stopped and turned around to look at the building. It was massive, with 10 studios, plus changing rooms to fit over 100 dancers, offices and kitchen, it was almost a mansion.

The Kwami Dance Troupe was the most famous dance company in Paris and perhaps even the country. Tikki and Plagg had done an amazing job raising the company from the ground, scouting some of the best dancers in the country and making a reputation for modernising some of the classic dances. Imagine watching Swan Lake and then in the middle of the Black Swan duet, Prince Siegfried starts dancing improv instead of dancing with his partner. What a sight it would be; especially since Adrien was playing Prince Siegfried that year and Chloe was playing the Black Swan.

Marinette smiled at that memory, then started thinking back to when she was asked to join the company. Tikki had seen her dancing in her local studio, where all types of dance were studied. Marinette wasn't even dancing ballet at the time, she was completing a hip hop/tap combo she had choreographed and hadn't noticed a strange woman leaning against the mirrors until after she had finished. Marinette did that a lot, she just lost herself to the music and would lose track of her surroundings and would find that people would be staring or had left the room without her ever realising.

Tikki had introduced herself as the co-owner and teacher of the Kwami Dance Troupe and asked Marinette if she danced ballet, once she had replied yes, Tikki smiled and then handed Marinette a large envelope which contained a contract for 5 years with the dance company. When Marinette had asked if she was serious, Tikki just replied that if Marinette worked hard over the next few years she might even be offered a principal role in the company as she had that kind of talent. Marinette had signed the paperwork that night and by the next week had started as part of the Kwami Dance Troupe.

To think that it had been 3 years since that day and she still thought it was a dream. Marinette had been working her butt off for the past few years in hope that maybe this year was the year that she would be offered a major role. The only thing stopping her was Chloe. Chloe had been principal dancer for as long as the company had been running alongside Adrien. They were almost the perfect pair when it came to ballet, the only thing it Marinette noticed was that Chloe seemed to be too clingy during the duets and that made Adrien uncomfortable.

Not that she paid that much attention to Adrien and how he felt, but as a fellow dancer she could appreciate how something like that could be awkward.

 _Crap, I need to get home and sleep if I am going to wake up in time tomorrow!_ Marinette thought as she started walking again, unaware that she was being watched.

"You really think she can pull it off this year?" Plagg looked at Tikki.

"I know she can", Tikki replied.

THE NEXT DAY

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, gather round and we can start reading out the roles for this year's performance!" Tikki yelled over the dancers chatting.

"This year we will be doing a first for this company, we will be dancing the Dance of the Ladybug" Plagg added before he had to put his hands over his ears from the shrieks that erupted in front of him. "SHUT UP!" he yelled over the din.

"Sorry Plagg." They all chorused with grins on their faces, the Dance of the Ladybug was one of the more unusual ballets, as there were many different versions but all with the same core dances and roles.

"Alright, I will now announce the roles for the main characters; Princess Fragrance will be performed by Rose, Dark Cupid will be Kim, Evilustrator will be Nathanael, Tortue de Fer will be danced by Nino, Volpina will be Alya, Queen Bee will be Chloe-"

"WHAT!?" Chloe screeched, "I think you are mistaken madam, I will be playing the role of Ladybug."

"No you will be Queen Bee this year Chloe" Tikki said straight faced,

"As if I will be playing some minor nobody. I am the principal dancer of this company and I will only play the lead." Chloe huffed.

"Well if that is how you feel Chloe then you can leave" Plagg growled, "We make the decisions in this company not you and if you don't like it then there is the door and don't bother coming back"

"Fine, I just can't wait to see how badly you crash and burn without me there to bring some class to the performance!" Chloe yelled as she grabbed her things and stalked out of the studio.

"Alright, well now that that is over. As Chloe has graciously given up her role, Lila you will play Queen Bee, Hawkmoth will be Felix, Chat Noir will be performed of course by Adrien and in her debut performance as principal dancer as Ladybug will be…..Marinette!" Tikki declared.

 _Huh? What?_

"OMG girl! You did it! You're Ladybug!" Alya screamed in Marinette's ears,

"W-what? I'm Ladybug? B-but-", Marinette stuttered _where did this stuttering come from?_

"No buts girl you did it, now we definitely have to celebrate!" Alya cheered.

"Oh! We are going to be celebrating of course", Plagg said with an evil glint in his eye, "Surprise boot camp time!"

"Oh come on Plagg! Really?" Felix cried, "What did we do this time?"

"You can thank Adrien for this one, he got me in trouble with Tikki last night so payback is a b-"

"Plagg!" Tikki said

"Sorry Tikki, but boot camp is still on people so move your butts!" Plagg laughed "And one, and two, and three and four!"

Marinette didn't mind the gruelling boot camp since it took her mind off the fact that she had just been made principal.

 ** _Just you wait little bug, you will never make opening night._**


	2. Of Dancing and Dreams

"Cheers!" The small group shouted as they all sat in a booth at the Cat's Eye, the local nightclub that was close to the Kwami Dance Studios.

"I can't believe everything that happened today!" Alya squealed, "Congratulations Marinette you will be an awesome Ladybug!"

"Thanks Alya, I hope I do the role justice. I've never been a Principal dancer before" Marinette said shyly, looking into her drink.

"I am sure you will be great Marinette," Adrien said smiling, "I have seen you dance over the past few years and you have a lot of talent."

"Ok, next round is on me guys, what are you all having?" Nino asked, standing up looking around.

"Cosmo."

"Oh make that two!"

"Vodka Tonic please."

"Um water if that's ok Nino?"

"Really, Marinette? Water?"

"Well I don't want to be hungover for rehearsal tomorrow. I have a feeling it is going to be a tough 3 months before opening night" Marinette defended.

"That is a fair call," Felix said in between sips of his Vodka Tonic, "Mind you after that blasted boot camp Plagg sprung on us, thanks Adrien by the way, you might need a drink tonight to loosen up"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault, he just used me as an excuse to make us hurt," Adrien whined, "Anyway if Marinette doesn't want to drink she doesn't have to. But if you want to order something and don't finish it, I will so you don't feel bad" He looked at Marinette.

"Umm… Sure… I'll have whatever Adrien is drinking then." Marinette said with a smile, "Thanks Nino."

"No problems! I'll be back!" Nino said, making his way to the bar.

Marinette looked around at her group of friends, they were all so happy and easy going which was something she had been working on for a long time. She always had trouble making friends and fitting in, which is probably why she loved dancing. She always felt like she was the only one in the world whenever the music started.

About an hour later (or 5 drinks but who was counting) most of the group were just tipsy enough to start dancing to the pounding beat of the music.

"GO ROSE! WORK IT!" Kim shouted to Rose, who had pulled Felix up to dance.

"Come on Nino, we can't let them show us up!" Alya said before grabbing Nino's hand and dragging him to the floor.

Marinette watched her friend before she noticed that Adrien was standing in front of her, "Shall we?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Oh! Um, sure." She said quietly as she let him pull her up from the booth and over to the dance floor. As soon as she truly heard the music, Marinette started to move; slowly swaying her hips, before letting her body and the music become one. She felt Adrien move up behind her and join in, placing his hands on her waist and her arms lifting to drape around his neck, they started to move in time. It felt so right having Adrien dancing beside her; every move she made, he would counter, the two constantly in motion as if they were battling on the dance floor.

"It's getting late now guys", Lila said over the music, "I think we should probably call it quits now if we want to get enough sleep before rehearsal."

They all agreed and began making their way out of the club.

"See you later guys!" Kim, Felix, Nathanial, Rose and Lila said as they all walked off in the opposite direction to Nino, Alya, Adrian and Marinette.

"See ya!" Alya yelled, slightly drunk Nino was the only thing keeping her upright at that point as she tried to wave to her retreating friends.

"I better take this one home before she vomits on me… Again" Nino said, grimacing as he remembered the last time he had gone drinking with the outgoing girl.

"Yeah smart move man, I'll catch you tomorrow," Adrien agreed, "Can I walk you home Marinette?"

"Sure Adrien, I would like that" Marinette replied. She too felt drunk but it wasn't because of the alcohol, more from the feeling of dancing with Adrien all night.

The walked home in a comfortable silence. Marinette made a point of 'accidentally' bumping into Adrien more than once, blaming the long day and the few drinks she had; each time he would look down at her and smile. After the third time, he put an arm around her shoulders claiming it was to 'help her keep steady'.

"Thank you for walking me home and for a wonderful night, I really enjoyed myself." Marinette said to Adrien as they reached her apartment.

"You're welcome Marinette, I quite enjoyed dancing with you and I can't wait for tomorrow when we can do it again" Adrien beamed.

"Oh yeah, we do get to dance together now don't we? Oops, sorry! I keep forgetting that I have the lead role this time," she giggled, "I am so used to being in the Corps de Ballet.".

"Well get used to it Mari, I have a feeling you are going to be the Principal dancer for a long time" He said.

"Mari?" she asked.

"Oh, sorry, that kind of just slipped out. I hope you don't mind if I call you that?" Adrien said blushing.

"Not at all, it just caught me off guard is all. I haven't had a nickname before," Marinette smiled.

"Well get used to it Mari, cause that's what I am going to be calling you from now on," he grinned, "I probably should head off but I will see you in the morning, bright and early for rehearsal!"

"Bye! Thanks again for tonight!" she called after his retreating back.

After walking up the three flights of stairs to her apartment, having a shower and crawling into her bed, Marinette smiled to herself; thinking back over the day. She had been made the Principal dancer of the Kwami Dance Troupe, gone out drinking with her friends, danced for hours with Adrien and he had walked her home. But best of all her had given her a nickname! It felt like ages before she fell asleep but the instant that she did, the dream started.

 _The bright lights blinded her for a moment before she realised that she was on a stage. Looking around she noticed that she was wearing a red tutu, before the music started. She began dancing a ballet she didn't know, after completing a triple pirouette; she leapt into a grand jete, before landing and moving again. It felt like she would never stop before a loud voice boomed._

 ** _'_** ** _You will never be Ladybug, you are clumsy and flawed.'_**

 _Startled, she looked around for the source of the voice but there was none. She tried ignoring it and keep dancing, but every time she would start to truly lose herself and have fun; the voice would return._

 ** _'_** ** _Failure. Wannabe. Fraud!'_**

 _'_ _Stop it!' she thought, 'I just want to dance!'_

 ** _'_** ** _You will never be Ladybug. You will never dance with Adrien. Just give up now before they all realise how hopeless you are.'_**

"NO!" she screamed, launching up in bed. _What was that?_ She thought to herself. She had had nightmares before, but none of them had instilled the absolute terror she felt, like this one.

"Whoever that was, they are wrong. I will be Ladybug and I already have danced with Adrien and he liked it." She told herself.

 ** _'_** ** _That is what he made you think little bug.'_**

"Who is there!?"She called out but there was no answer. She turned on all her lights and walked around her apartment, calling out. By the time she got to her bed, it was 4am in the morning, since she had to get up at 5am for rehearsal; she decided to stay up and read a book rather than try to go back to sleep. By the time rehersals started, Marinette was exhausted. She guessed that she had maybe around 2 hours sleep, especially after a gruelling day… And it was only Thursday.

"Why do I have a feeling that this is going to be a long day?" she said to no one in particular while changing.

"Girl why is it that, while I am currently debating the idea, of maybe admitting that I could possibly be hungover from last night… You look worse than I do?" Alya grumbled, squinting at Marinette.

"I didn't get much sleep last night, I was too excited about starting rehearsal today to sleep." Marinette lied.

"Well make sure you sleep well tonight otherwise it won't be only today that is long." Alya replied.

 ** _'_** ** _You have no idea how right you are girl. This little bug will be lucky if she survives the next 3 weeks, let alone 3 months.'_**


	3. Dr Plaggenstine

Of course it was raining today, Marinette thought gloomily, it's not like this day could get any worse. She hadn't slept properly in 4 days; the nightmares were now happening every time she closed her eyes and the voice was starting to speak to her even while awake. It would be there while trying to dance, eat or anything that required some semblance of thought.

"Alright ladies, follow me! Then as we complete the combo, I want you boys to do the same," Tikki instructed to the group assembled in front of her. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven and ei-"

There was a loud bang and the lights went out suddenly. The girls screamed in the darkness and the boys jumped, startled.

"Strange, the power box should have stopped that from happening," Tikki mumbled to herself, "Stay here while I go and sort this out" she said to the dancers.

As she walked out of the studio, the door began to slowly close behind her. Marinette's eyes went wide as she saw, hiding behind the door, wearing a white lab coat and goggles, was Plagg. He was twirling a set of keys around in his free hand as he shut the door with the other, locking it.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" He asked in a strange accent, "Fresh meat for my experiments it seems"

"Plagg? What is going on? What are you wearing?" Adrien asked, a quiver of fear in his voice.

"Plagg? Who is this Plagg you speak of? I am Dr Plaggenstine! And now my little pets, it's time to dance for me, mwahahahahahahahah!"

 **'** **DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN'** the intro to Toccata and Fugue in D Minor started playing the moment Dr Plagginstine stopped talking.

"Crap!" Nino screeched as he ran for his bag, grabbing his phone out, "Uh mum, hey yeah I'm ok. Uh, if you don't hear from me by tonight, send help to the dance studio please… Yeah I love you too, thanks, bye." Simeltaneously, Adrien had bolted to all the windows trying to find one that was open, his eyes wide with a frenzied look, usually seen in trapped animals. As he reached the windows, the outside shutters all started closing, one after the other as if some supernatural force was behind the movement.

"Now just where do you think you are going my pet?" Dr Plaggenstine purred, "You don't want to miss all the fun do you?"

Adrien just turned to face him, whimpering before collapsing in the foetal position, rocking back and forth. As Marinette ran to him she could hear him mumbling under his breath, what seemed to be a dance combo. She realised he was flashbacking to whatever hell the boot camp from last year thrusted upon him.

 _Oh god, if he can turn Adrien into a blubbering mess with just a few words, I am a goner._

 **Hmmmmm, I like this Dr Plaggenstine, he has the right idea on how to deal with stupid little bugs who don't know how bad they are.**

 _Go away, you're not real._

 **Whatever, if you manage to make it out of here, you will be so much more fun to play with. I need to get this guy's number…**

"Now my pets, let's all line up in a nice row at the back of the room so I can explain what will happen today." Dr Plaggenstine grinned, "That means you to, my favourite, dear, sweet little pet". He said gesturing to Adrien's figure on the ground.

"Piroette, grande jete, plie…" Adrien kept rocking back and forth, hands on his head, blocking his ears while his eyes were wide with fear.

"Hmmm, I think I may have broken him… Oh well, maybe next time," Dr Plaggenstine turned to the rest of the group. "Now let's beg-"

"PLAGG! YOU LET ME IN NOW! HOW DID YOU GET MY KEYS?!" Tikki screeched from the other side of the locked door.

"Damm she got back faster than I had hoped," Dr Plaggenstine muttered, shrugging his shoulders, "Why haven't you started yet my pets? Don't make me break you!" As soon as the words left his mouth, random lightning flashed from inside the room! Everyone, excluding a broken Adrien screamed and cowered in fear.

"He can control the weather?" Alya yelled above the noise.

 _Maybe this is a dream, a very vivid and realistic dream._ Marinette thought.

Dr Plaggenstine just cackled maniacally, "I'm waiting my pets." He almost sung.

On the other side of the studio, Tikki was frantically trying to unlock the door. She only noticed that her keys were missing when she had reached the stairwell to the basement, intending to turn the lights back on. As soon as she had realised that her keys were missing she just knew that Plagg was up to something. He had been unusually absent from practice today, for all of his bluster, he was a dedicated dancer and teacher and had never missed a rehearsal before now.

She looked around for anything she could use to open the door but cursed at her good sense to keep the studio clean and clear of debris and clutter. You could never be too careful with 100 dancers in a small area, they are almost guaranteed to have at least 1 broken leg each week otherwise. She raced back towards the stairwell, maybe if she got the lights on, she could find the crowbar that was in the storeroom to open the door. She knew that Adrien wouldn't last long in that room, if he hadn't already collapsed. Tikki was the unlucky one who had found him after the first boot camp Plagg thrusted upon him and it wasn't a pretty sight. She reached the last set of stairs and jumped over the railing, landing almost cat like on the floor, before running towards the power box. ' _YES_! ' She cheered mentally. The power was back on and she could finally see again. _Now to find that crowbar, maybe I'll use it on Plagg after I save the kids._

It took her 10 minutes of rummaging through the storeroom to find her weapon of choice. After making a mental note to make Plagg come down, clean up and inventory the room, she raced back up the stairs taking them two at a time before reaching the landing. She sprinted towards the locked studio and as she reached the door, used all the momentum of her run to jam the bar into the lock. She heaved as hard as she could, trying to break the heavy-duty lock. _When did we install a lock this strong?_

A bang echoed through the studio as the lights flashed back on as suddenly as they had gone off 30 minutes previously.

 _Hmm, Tikki must have gone to get the power back on… Troublesome woman,_ Dr Plaggenstine thought to himself.

Another loud clang was heard. "I'm coming kids! Don't worry I'll have you out of there in just a minute!" Tikki yelled through the door.

"Hurry Tikki! Please!" Rose cried as she hid behind Felix.

"RUN!" Tikki shouted to the kids as she wrenched the door open.

The instant the door was open, Adrien's head snapped up, and in an instant he was running out of the room.

"Knees to chest, knees to chest," he chanted with an alarming amount of speed for someone who had been comatose for the past half hour. The rest of the dancers bolted out behind him, giving Dr Plaggenstine a wide berth.

"Plagg…" Tikki growled, as she approached him, the crowbar clenched menacingly in her hand.

"Now now Tikki, it was just a bit of H-Halloween fun….." Plagg stuttered backing away from the woman who was now frothing in the mouth. All they could hear as they sped out of the studio was a loud thud, Plagg's scream in pain, another thud and Tikki bellowing at him.

The next day, when they all returned, Tikki was standing happily in the studio with a bandaged Plagg next to her holding her coffee and cookies while she read a magazine.


	4. Of Freaks and Falls

After the fiasco with Dr Plaggenstine, the dancers decided to all head to a Halloween party that weekend to relax. Alya, of course, was the main driving force behind this and either threatened, bribed or physically forced the whole group to agree to a party being held at the Cat's Eye that Saturday night.

"Alya, I don't have anything to wear for Halloween and I don't have enough time to make something," Marinette cried to her best friend.

"Oh Marinette, I am shocked that you don't have faith in me as a friend. Of course we are going shopping this afternoon after rehearsal for costumes," Alya replied, poking her finger into Marinette's chest.

"But-"

"No but's Marinette, we are going shopping and that's final. Oh maybe we can get the whole group together to pick costumes," Alya mused.

"That sounds like a great idea babe," Nino said grinning, as he walked up to the girls with Adrien in tow. "Hey Marinette, how are you holding up?"

"I'm good Nino, thanks for asking. Hi Adrien, how are you feeling after the other day?" Marinette asked, looking Adrien over.

"I'm ok Mari, sorry if I freaked you out with my, uh, reaction," Adrien mumbled, his hand rubbing the back of his head.

"Not really, more just making sure you are going to be up to dancing today. I have a feeling that Tikki and Plagg are going to make us work extra hard since we have missed a few days'," she replied as they all made their way into the studio to start stretching.

After rehearsal, everyone took the bus to the fashion district, where they found Madame Zostra's; a costume shop that seemed to be of a higher quality than the others.

"Welcome children! I am Madame Zostra and this is my store. I have just one rule that must be followed if you wish to purchase my costumes. This rule is that I choose the costume that you wear. I will not allow someone to wear something I have made when it does not suit them." She informed the group.

"Um, I suppose that should work for us, since we haven't actually decided what we were going as," Felix said, looking to the rest of the group for confirmation. They all nodded in agreement.

"Wonderful, now ladies first," Madame Zostra smiled, pointing at Marinette, "You dear, come with me."

As Marinette followed Madame Zostra into the maze of costumes, she saw that they were all exquisitely made and that no two were the same.

"You have quite a collection here Madame," she complimented, "And I can see they are all very high quality; do you make them all yourself?"

"Yes I do dear, thank you. It keeps me busy for the rest of the year," Madame Zostra replied, stopping near some white costumes, "I think this will be the one for you." She held up an outfit with a smile and Marinette instantly agreed that it would look perfect on her.

THE DAY OF THE PARTY

Marinette was exhausted, all she could think about was just curling up in bed and going to sleep forever. Unfortunately, she knew that if she didn't show up, Alya would break into her apartment and drag her out kicking and screaming.

Sighing she walked into her bathroom, turned on the shower and stood under the running water trying to gather up the energy to get dressed.

Two hours later she was finally ready, the costume that Madame Zostra had sold her was very time consuming to actually get into but Marinette had decided it was worth it, once she saw herself in the mirror. Smiling she grabbed her accessories and walked confidently towards the door.

 **So can I be the devil tonight?**

 _Go away, I am not dealing with you tonight._

 **He he he, you won't get rid of me that easily. Especially not in that outfit, it is way too obvious and you will be run out of the party in no time.**

Marinette tried to ignore the voice, but as she got into the taxi to head to the Cat's Eye, she had an inkling of doubt in the back of her head that maybe it was right.

The music was pounding in the club, bodies everywhere and some extra parts were already flying thanks to some of the zombies in the room. The dancers had claimed their usual booth, which was close to the bar but not too close.

Alya, who was dressed as witch, gripped her broomstick tightly, "Where is that girl?"

"Marinette will be soon, I'm sure babe," zombie Nino said calmly.

"There she is!" Rose, who was dressed as pumpkin, yelled over the music, standing on the booth to wave.

Everyone looked up and Alya swore she saw vampire Adrien's mouth drop as he saw Marinette walking down the stairs. She was dressed as an angel, with large white feather wings adorning her back, a short fluffy skirt, tight corset and white halo finishing off the outfit.

"Hi guys," she said as she reached them, noting each of their costumes. Felix was a ghost, Kim looked like a skeleton, Nathanial was a clown and Lila was dressed like a spider, "I love all of your costumes, Madame Zostra really did a great job!"

"Yes she did," Adrien said, after Nino had closed his mouth from gaping at Marinette. "Would you like to dance?"

"Oh sure, I'd love to," Marinette smiled up at him, taking his hand and walking out onto the dance floor with him.

"Aww don't they look cute as a couple?" Rose asked, sighing, before looking at Felix with a longing look.

"Yeah they do," Nathanial agreed, looking at Lila the same way.

"Well they better hurry up and get together," Kim said, "I have put good money on them to be together in the next two weeks."

"Wait, there is a betting pool on how long it will take for them to get together?" Lila asked.

"Yes there is little spider," Plagg said waking up towards the group dressed as a black cat, "I started it. Minimum bets are $20 and I am still taking wages." He sang.

"Yes because betting on your colleagues love lives is totally normal," Tikki grumbled as she walked up behind Plagg, wearing what looked to be a red and black bug outfit.

"Oh come on Tikki, you can't deny that you put $50 on for them to be together in, what is it now, five weeks?" Plagg teased.

"Plagg! You promised not to say anything about my bet!" Tikki yelled, "Great now they will think I am as bad as you," she cried.

The rest of the dancers all grabbed out their wallets and started placing bets on when the two would start dating, some even going as far as to say how long until the first kiss.

After three hours of dancing non-stop, Marinette finally had to leave the Cat's Eye; she knew that if she didn't go home, she would be in for another sleepless night.

"Do you have to go?" Adrien asked sadly.

"Yes, I still want to practice some more at home before going to bed and I need all the practice I can get." Marinette replied. Adrien squeezed her hand but let it go nodding.

"I know the feeling, I do that all the time." Marinette's eyes widened at the confession; she didn't think that after all this time he was still nervous about dancing, but maybe she was wrong.

Once she got home the voice started back up again, this time it played on Adrien's insecurities. If he was still nervous, it was only because she was so incompetent as a dancer and that he had to compensate for her mistakes.

2 WEEKS LATER

Marinette was feeling weak; she hadn't eaten much again. The voice had kept ridiculing her while she tried to eat breakfast so she only managed to gulp down a glass of juice before it became too much. Combine that with three weeks of almost no sleep and that spelt a recipe for disaster. Tikki wanted Marinette and Adrien to practice their lifts today since she was still new to partner dancing.

"Are you ok Mari? You don't look great," Adrien asked with a worried look.

"I'm fine Adrien, just nervous about the lifts I guess," she replied. She hated lying to everyone, but if they found out that she was hearing voices she would be kicked out for good and never be able to professionally dance again.

The music started for the final duet, where Ladybug and Chat Noir reconnected after the heartbreak. Marinette was trying to focus on the mood of the dance as well as the steps themselves.

"Good Adrien, keep your core strong as you lift her," Tikki instructed, "Marinette, make sure you don't relax once you are up, you need to keep strong in your upper body to help Adrien balance."

"Yes Madam," they said in unison.

Marinette felt light headed as they began to practice the lift again and as Adrien placed her on his shoulder, she suddenly felt like the world was spinning.

"I don't feel so good," she mumbled before the darkness began to engulf her,

"MARI!"


	5. Of Hospitals and Hugs

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Marinette woke up to the noise of the machines; groggily she opened her eyes and looked around. She seemed to be in a hospital room, hooked up to at least 3 machines and an IV drip. She was startled to see that she had a small florist shop in her room, there was what must have been 3 dozen bouquets of flowers, a dozen balloons and at least five teddy bears. Her heart rate started to pick up as she noticed that, sleeping next to her bed, was Adrien. His hand was holding hers and as she shifted slightly he woke with a start.

"Mari?" he whispered. God his eyes looked so sad and red, it was if he had been recently crying.

"Hi Adrien," she rasped, voice raw from misuse, "What happened?"

"You collapsed during rehearsal Mari. I barely caught you before you hit your head on the floor. You scared me, don't ever do that to again your hear?" he reprimanded.

"Sorry, I must have gotten dizzy," Marinette murmured.

"Mari, the doctors said that you were malnourished and that your body was past the point of exhaustion. You have been asleep for 4 days."

"4 days?!" Marinette exclaimed "No! I have to get back to rehearsal, I still have so much to learn!"

"Not going to happen young lady," A man said as he entered the room, "My name is Doctor Morris, I am the one in charge of making sure you get better soon. Now, you will not be dancing for at least another week, your body is not ready to go back to such a gruelling routine."

"But I don't have time to sit around and do nothing!" Marinette cried.

"If you are lucky you can start dancing in one week but even then it will be on restricted duties. If you push yourself much more, you may lose more than just four days next time," Doctor Morris chastised.

Marinette was stunned at what she was hearing, she knew she wasn't feeling the best but she didn't think it was as bad as the Doctor was describing. Surely she should be able to go back dancing much sooner than he said. As she looked at Adrien, she was shocked to find that he was staring back at her.

"You're going to listen to the Doctor aren't you Mari?" he asked pointedly.

"Yes Adrien, I will," she replied, "But do I have to stay here in the hospital?" she asked the Doctor.

"You will have to stay here for tonight but if you can promise me that you will not return to rehearsals until at least next week and that when you do, it is for no more than two hours at a time for up to four hours a day." Doctor Morris compromised.

"Yes, Doctor, I promise." Marinette promised, crossing her fingers that were hidden behind her back. She could still practice at home or she could go back to her old studio if she needed the space until she was allowed to come back full time.

She was released the next day and made a point of going to the Kwami Dance Studio to say hi to everyone and to thank them for all the gifts they had sent. She then excused herself, saying she should get home to rest so she could be back sooner rather than later.

 _I wonder why Adrien was there in the hospital with me and why he seemed so upset._ She pondered as she walked back to her apartment. _Oh well, time to start practicing so I don't fall further behind._

 **You will never catch up now little bug, you will always be second rate compared to all of them.**

"Go away, you're not real," Marinette said out loud.

 **You do realise you are talking to a voice in your head right?**

Marinette's concentration was broken when Alya's ringtone blared again. _Dammit Alya, I'm a little bit busy._

"I suppose I should just answer her and then turn it on silent so I can keep going" she said to no one in particular.

"Alya, what's wrong?" she asked, after hitting answer on her phone.

"I am at your place Marinette and you are not here," Alya said sharply, "Where are you? You are supposed to be on bed rest."

"I'm fine, I just went for a walk around my old neighbourhood after seeing my parents," Marinette lied, "I needed some fresh air after being stuck in my house for the past seven days."

"Marinette, you're not dancing again are you?" Alya asked.

Marinette's breath caught slightly at the accusation, "N-No Alya, I am not dancing. I promise."

"Marinette, I am just worried about you. I know what you can be like and being forced to not dance for so long will just make you want to practice more." Alya said softly.

"Alya, I said I am fine. Just stop worrying about me. I need to go," Marinette said bag before turning the music back on and walking back into position to start the dance again.

She was in her old dance studio; Madame Zoe was kind enough to let her borrow a key so she could practice whenever she needed. She had practically lived here for the past week the moment she was let out of the hospital. She was still stuck on a particular section of Ladybug's solo at the end of the performance. She had to spin while moving across the stage and then stop suddenly in a pose. She had almost every move perfected but kept stumbling and falling over at the end. She had been practicing the same combo for the past six hours and was no closer to perfecting it.

 **Oh my little bug, when are you going to listen to me?**

 _Never. I just need to focus and I will get it right._

 **Keep going, I can't wait to see when you break your leg, falling over like that.**

 _I won't break my leg. Now go away. I need to concentrate._

 **Whatever, just don't come crying to me when you fail miserably on stage. I am just trying to save you from public humiliation.**

"Mari?"

She spun to see Adrien standing in the doorway of the studio, his face covered in shock.

"A-Adrien? What are you doing here?" she asked, looking around the studio.

"Alya called me after she spoke to you. She said you didn't sound like yourself and when she tracked your phone, she saw that you were in a dance studio," Adrien said, "You remember you are still not allowed to be dancing right? You lied to her, you said you weren't dancing."

"Oh uh, I wasn't dancing, I was just visiting my old dance studio. Yeah I had been walking in the neighbourhood and decided to pop in." Marinette scrambled for an explanation.

"Mari, I saw you dancing just now, why are you lying to me?" Adrien asked softly, walking towards her.

"I wasn't lying, but I have to go, sorry, bye!" she said, snatching her bag and running towards the door.

Adrien grabbed her arm as she ran past him. "Mari, please talk to me."

"Adrien, I-I can't, I'm sorry but I can't. Please let go of me," Marinette begged.

"I can't do that either Mari. I'm worried about you; you look as bad as you did in hospital if not worse. Just tell me what is going on, please," he pleaded.

Marinette stopped, her heart beating loudly. She didn't want to keep lying to everyone but she couldn't tell them the whole truth. She turned to Adrien, her eyes not making contact.

"I, uh, I-I have been dancing, but it's only because I need to be able to keep up with you. You're so amazing and I'm just….just…me." Marinette muttered.

Adrien moved his free hand to her chin, lifting it up. "You are an amazing dancer Mari. One of the best that I have ever danced with."

Marinette blushed at the proximity between them and at his words.

"When was the last time you ate?" Adrien asked pointedly.

"Um, maybe a bite of toast this morning," Marinette murmured.

Adrien sighed and started dragging her out of the studio, snatching the keys from her hand and locking up.

"Right, we are going to eat before we go home," he stated.

"Home?"

"Oh, I probably should call Alya" he said, ignoring Marinette. He pulled out his mobile and dialled Alya's number.

"Alya? It's Adrien. Can you do me a favour and pack a bag of Mari's things? Yeah enough stuff to keep her going until the performance. When you have it all packed let me know, I'm taking her to get something to eat before we head back to mine. Awesome, yeah it's ok. Of course, you know you can call me whenever you need anything, especially when it comes to Mari. Cool, well I see you later," he hung up the phone with a smile. "Alright, how does a burger sound?"

"Adrien, why is Alya packing a bag of my stuff and why are we heading back to your place?" Marinette asked after Adrien had paid for their meals.

"Because you are moving in with me until after the performance, since you can't be trusted to not dance when you're supposed to be resting," he replied straight faced.

"WHAT? I can't move in with you Adrien! I mean, I couldn't expect you to do that for me," Marinette spluttered, red faced.

BING. Marinette's phone chimed with a text message. Swiping the message open, she swallowed a squeal and swore her face turned a new shade of red as she read the message. It was a picture of Alya holding a pair of Marinette's black lacy underpants.

 ** _I think I'll pack these for you 'just in case'._**

"I'm going to kill that girl," Marinette growled quietly.

"You ok Mari?" Adrien asked over his burger.

"Oh yes, she was just asking me about some of my clothes," Marinette replied, "She is having fun picking my clothes out for me."

"Oh, well that's good. We probably should start heading back to my place so you can settle in. Do you mind if we stop by the grocers? I still need to set up the spare bedroom with the few essentials that I don't have stocked on hand." Adrien said standing up.

"Sure, but you don't need to go out of your way for me," Marinette said also standing.

"This isn't out of my way, I also need to get some stuff for dinner tonight so it's not trouble at all."

Once they got back to Adrien's apartment, he showed Marinette the spare room that she would be staying in for the next nine weeks. After a full tour of the apartment, including a 'oh and this is my room if you ever need me', they settled in the kitchen while Adrien started prepping for dinner.

"You don't have any allergies right Mari?"

"Nope, I can usually eat just about anything," Marinette replied grinning.

"Usually?"

"I, uh, haven't had much of an appetite lately," Marinette whispered.

"Well you won't have a choice here. I cook a lot and I don't like having left overs." Adrien stated, before chopping the onions.

"Knock knock, anyone home?" Alya called out from the doorway.

Marinette raced over to her 'best friend', grabbed her bag and dragged Alya to her room.

"Right, what did you pack for me? Any actual clothes?" Marinette questioned.

"Of course I did!... Just not many of them. Anyway I wanted to make sure I had all the 'essentials'." Alya chirped, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Marinette just sighed, shaking her head and hugged her friend. "I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to snap at you or hang up. I'm sorry that I lied, but I knew that you would be mad at me and I don't want to fall behind anymore."

"It's ok girl, all is forgiven. Just make sure you don't give Adrien a hard time about this; his heart is the right place and he cares for you." Alya hugged back.

Marinette and Adrien said goodnight after dinner and Marinette hadn't felt so full in a long time. She also realised that she hadn't heard from the voice since Adrien arrived at the studio, which was surprising as it was normally so persistent, especially when she was eating that she would only get a few mouthfuls before losing her appetite.

She curled up in bed, closing her eyes, and immediately opened them back on the stage in the red tutu.

 **I have missed you little bug. Now that the blonde bimbo has gone, we can play.**

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Marinette screamed, launching herself up in bed. Her hands were shaking and her heart was racing.

"MARI!" Adrien barged into her room, "What happened?"

"Sorry Adrien, it was just a nightmare," Marinette said shakily.

Adrien walked up to her bed, sat down beside her and put his arms around her.

"Shhh, it's ok now. I won't let anything happen to you while I'm here," he whispered.

"I'm sorry," Marinette turned into his chest, tears welling in her eyes.

"Go back to sleep, I'll stay here until you drift off," he said softly. He then started humming a sweet tune that made Marinette feel very sleepy.

Marinette rolled over with a smile whine, to avoid the bright light shining through the blinds. She curled closer into her nice, warm, snuggly, breathing pillow. She froze and her eyes flew open in realisation… Pillows don't breath.

"Morning" a husky voice said.


	6. Of Blushes and Bedtimes

_Marinette rolled over with a small whine, to avoid the bright light shining through the blinds. She curled closer into her nice, warm, snuggly, breathing pillow. She froze and her eyes flew open in realisation… Pillows don't breathe._

 _"_ _Morning" a husky voice said._

"Adrien?" Marinette squeaked, abruptly sitting up. Adrien was still lying beside her in the bed, with his hand running through his mussed hair.

"You slept well last night?" Adrien asked while trying to contain the smirk that had spread on his face.

"You stayed here last night?" she said, eyes growing wider.

"Well I didn't have much of a choice since every time I went to leave; you starting whimpering and it looked like the nightmare was starting to come back," Adrien explained, "Not that I minded." He continued, under his breath.

"Sorry about that… I didn't mean to disturb your sleep." Marinette apologised.

"Don't apologise to me." There was silence for a moment before Adrien sighed. "We should probably start getting ready for rehearsal today. It's supposed to be your first day back… But since you went against the doctor's orders, you only get to do half of the rehearsal."

"Adrien! No! I need to practice more than 2 hours a day!" Marinette cried.

"I don't care. If you had behaved then you wouldn't have been in this mess to begin with." He chided.

"I suppose." She grumbled, staring down at the covers that were still over her lap. "Um, Adrien, do you mind if I get dressed now?"

"Hmm? Sure, go ahead." he replied..

Marinette looked at him pointedly. Realisation dawned on him, painting his face bright red, as he realised he was still in her room… And that she wanted to get undressed.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry Mari! I-I'll just, um… go. Yeah! I'll go and get ready in my room. See ya, bye!" He stammered, scrambling out of bed and slamming the door behind him.

Over the next few days, Marinette and Adrien fell into a peaceful routine. They would go to class together then have lunch, go shopping and have dinner or the two would just hang out in general. Their dancing had improved immensely since Marinette had moved in; Tikki and Plagg attributed it to the pair being much closer, making them more comfortable around each other and therefore being able to anticipate what the other may do. The only time Marinette seemed to be alone was when she would say goodnight to Adrien and then leave to bed. Unfortunately this seemed to be when the voice would return with the nightmares, and each one growing worse. It was as if they were condensing a whole days' worth of torture into the few hours they might get a night.

Adrien woke once more to the sound of Marinette screaming in terror. 'This is the 5th night in a row' he thought as he threw the covers off himself and raced into her room. He grabbed her hand and called her name, rousing her from her fear induced sleep. "Adrien?" Marinette whispered, still shaking from the horror she had just endured.

"Mari, was it that dream again?" he asked, reaching his arms around, hugging her.

"Yes, I don't know why I keep having the same dream all the time," she cried, holding back her tears.

"You don't seem to have it when I am here…" Adrien pondered out loud.

"I guess so," Marinette agreed, "But what difference does that make?"

"Well it just means that we are going to have to 'sleep together' from now on so that you, and I, can have a full nights' sleep," Adrien said, like it was the simplest answer in the entire universe.

"WHAT?" Marinette shrieked, looking at him, shock painted all over her face.

"What? Don't you want to sleep with me?" He laughed as she blushed and rambled incomprehensibly. "Come on Mari, my bed is bigger so it will be more comfortable."

Adrien smiled and grabbed Marinette's hand, dragging the still stammering girl towards his room. His room was large and the main feature was the large 4 poster mahogany bed with silk sheets. 'Wow' Marinette thought as she followed Adrien, stopping to wait as he started moving the mountain of pillows from the bed onto the daybed in the corner. "You sleep in this?" she asked as she walked around to the unused side and jumped up.

"Normally yes but lately I have been sleeping in your room." He teased as he jumped into his side of the bed, rearranging the pillows so that they were more comfortable.

"Sorry about this, I feel really bad," Marinette apologised, voice soft, as she wriggled down under the covers until only her hair was visible. Adrien pulled the covers back and looked at Marinette, "Don't be sorry! How many times have I told you that?"

"I know bu-"

"But nothing! Let's make a deal, if us sleeping in the same room manages to stop your nightmares, then you have to promise never to apologise to me about all of this."

"And what if it doesn't?"

"I will apologise to you for making this awkward and you can move back to your apartment if you want to." He counted.

"It isn't awkward but ok, I'll take that bet." Marinette smiled.

"Good. Now go to sleep otherwise you will be exhausted tomorrow; after all you get to start dancing more again."

"Ok. Good night Adrien,"

"Good night Mari."

The voice didn't reappear again that night or any night after that.

"ADRIAN FUCKING AGRESTE!"

"Shit dude, you're in trouble now!" Nino yelled as Alya broke into the boys' change room.

"What is this I hear about you and Marinette?!" The wild girl growled.

"Um, depends? What have you heard?" he asked timidly, looking at Marinette as she slipped into the room behind her best friend. Awkwardly trying to grab her best friend and drag her back out.

"That you are sharing a bed and that this has been going on for a few weeks!"

"Well I didn't have much of a choice." Adrien defended, before realising what he implied. "Wait! That didn't come out right!"

"Of course you had a choice! She didn't force you to sleep with her did she!?"

"No! I mean it was cause of the nightmares!" Adrien blurted out.

"ADRIEN!" Marinette cried.

"What? It's not like it was a secret or anything!... Was it?" he asked, worry slipping into his voice.

"Nightmares?" Alya asked, looking between the two.

"Um, yeah, Alya. I have been having nightmares for a while now… And we found that they go away when I sleep in the same room as Adrien… That's all." Marinette explained.

"Well why didn't you say something to me sooner? I could have helped you." Alya said, exasperated.

"I-I-I…I suppose I was ashamed of what was happening. I didn't want you all to think that I was going crazy or that I was unfit to dance with the company."

"We would never think that of you Mari," Adrien said softly, reaching out to tap her affectionately on the chin. "It's not your fault that you were having nightmares."

Marinette looked at her friends and was surprised at how at home she felt with them all. She took a deep breath and nodded internally to herself. It was now or never. "Actually, it wasn't just nightmares that was bothering me…." She admitted, "There is a voice…."

"A voice?" Alya asked, curious.

"Yeah, it started after our parts were announced. Whenever I am alone it would say nasty things to me and every time I would go to eat, it would ridicule me to the point that I couldn't eat anymore. It is the same voice from the nightmares." She explained.

"…It's the reason you fell, isn't it?" Adrien asked.

Marinette nodded, wringing her hands together, waiting for someone to tell her she was mad and that she could never dance again.

"Huh, so maybe we should start calling you the Black Swan, " Nino piped up from the corner where he and the other male dancers had gone to hide from Hurricane Alya.

"Nino, this isn't funny." Adrien scolded, eyes narrowing at his best friend. "She got hurt because of this."

"True…" Nino looked at Marinette apologetically. "Sorry girl."

"It's ok Nino, I know you didn't mean anything mean by it. In a way you're right… I am a Black Swan."

"What are you girls doing in here?" Plagg boomed from the doorway, "Get your butts back into your own change room before Tikki finds out!"

A shock of realisation ran through both Alya and Marinette as they stared at Adrien and Nino. They turned to each other, eyes wide and then bolted out of the room.


	7. Of Kisses and Keys

After a gruelling morning rehearsal Plagg called a break at lunchtime. "Alright, listen up! The whole studio is getting a facelift this weekend. Which means that you all need to get lost this afternoon."

"What Plagg is trying to say is that the studio will be closed for this afternoon and the rest of the weekend for renovations. As much as we love you all, we need to prepare for the painters so once we have finished up here we will need to ask you all to leave." Tikki explained.

"Sweet! A day off!" Nino cheered and Felix, Kim and Nathanial joined in moments later.

"Alright! Alright!" Plagg yelled over the din, "You get a day off! NOW SCRAM!"

The dancers bolted from the studio, loudly chatting about what they were going to do in their spare time. Adrien and Marinette walked slower than their friends, quietly talking together.

"Mari, would you mind coming with me this afternoon? There is someone I would like you to meet," Adrien asked, a soft look in his eyes.

"S-sure Adrien, I don't mind. Who is it?" she replied.

"Just someone who is very much like you and I think you will be good friends," he said cryptically.

"Ok?" Marinette said warily, before they split up to get changed.

After being teased relentlessly about their living arrangements by their friends, with Alya and Nino in the lead, , Marinette and Adrien headed outside and hailed a cab. Adrien gave the driver the address of where they were going and Mari knew that it was in one of the upper-class areas.

As they rode through the city, Marinette watched the buildings fly by. She started imagining what it would be like 200 years ago; when Ladybug and Chat Noir were supposed to be alive. She could imagine the rush of flying through the buildings, swinging from a magical yo-yo and staff. The view would be amazing and the thrill of chasing an akuma would be intense. Marinette truly believed that the superheroes had been real and not just another legend although she had no proof to support her theory, just a gut feeling. Sometimes, she glanced shyly at Adrien, that is all you have and you have to trust that, just like she was with him

"We are here," Adrien said, startling Marinette out of her daydream. She looked around and saw that they were parked in front of what Marinette believed to be, a private hospital.

"Adrien? Why are we here?" she asked.

"I told you, to meet someone," he said with a smile on his face, "Come on, you are going to love her."

Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand and dragged her from the cab, paying the driver. He then led her through the front doors, waved at the nurse on the front desk and strode towards the elevators. They rode the elevator to the top floor, the doors opened and the duo was met with an eerie silence except for the tapping of a keyboard at the nurse's station.

"Back again Adrien?" The nurse behind the desk asked.

"Long time no see Rebecca," he replied cheerfully, "This is my friend Marinette. I thought she might like some company today."

"Of course, she is having a good day today. Call if you need anything."

"Thanks Rebecca, see you!"

Marinette was still very confused as to what was happening when Adrien suddenly stopped at a closed door.

"This is us," he smiled, opening the door quietly and making his way inside the room.

Marinette was surprised to see a beautiful middle aged blonde woman lying in a hospital bed, sleeping. She slowly walked closer to the woman, looking back at Adrien, questions brimming. She reached the bed and with a start, she realised that she knew this lady. She had seen her picture all over Adrien's apartment, though in the pictures she was significantly younger.

"Mari, meet my Mother. Mother, meet Marinette," Adrien introduced, a warm smile breaking onto his face.

"Wait. This is your mother?" Marinette whispered, "What happened?"

Adrien sat down in one of the comfy chairs next to the bed, gesturing for Marinette to do the same.

"Ten years ago, when I was 11, my mother had an accident. She was a ballerina like us, my father was her director. They were world renowned in the dance industry." He paused, a soft smile forming on his face. "She was always the Prima and whatever ballet Father directed always won awards. My father was always pushing himself hard when he was working; he knew that to be able to keep the comfortable life he was providing my mother and I, he could not afford to be slack. My mother felt like she couldn't let him do all the hard work, so when she wasn't looking after me she would be rehearsing; sometimes she would take me with her when father was working late or if she couldn't find a sitter." He smiled again, reaching over to tuck a lock of his mother's hair away from her face. "I loved it when that happened because I got to spend more time with her and the other dancers would teach me ballet to keep me occupied. It's actually how I became a dancer in the first place… But, one day when she was practicing after a long day, her partner slipped when lifting her and she was so exhausted that she couldn't catch herself before she hit the floor… I still remember the sound of her head connecting with the hardwood, the yells of all the other dancers as two of them grabbed me and carried me out of the studio. It was Tikki and Plagg… They were my best friends growing up; they took care of me when father and mother went to the hospital. I found out a few days later that she was in a coma due to the severity of the damage her brain had suffered. The doctors told my father that is would be kinder and easier if he let her go and turned off the machines, but he refused. He loved her too much to let her go. When she was stable enough he had her moved here and quit directing. I haven't seen much of my father since then, mainly because when he is travelling, trying to find someone who can heal her." Adrien turned to face Marinette again. "Tikki and Plagg took me in and when they decided to open their own studio I was their first student and principal dancer. After 10 years, father still refuses to let go but I don't mind though, because it gives me a chance to still hang out with my mother. I still get to tell her things that I am doing, about the people I have met, what dance I am struggling with. I can hold her hand, kiss her cheek and just sit with her. I know it's selfish, but I don't want to lose my mother even though I already have," Adrien finished, obviously holding back tears.

"Is that why you were with me in the hospital when I woke up?" Marinette asked, softly.

"Yeah, it reminded me of my mother's accident a bit too much. I'm just glad I caught you before you hit the floor. You both have so much in common… I don't want what happened to her to happen to you. I care too much for you Mari." he said blushing slightly.

"Oh, um, uh… Thank you Adrien, I care about you too." Marinette murmured.

"So how about I go down to the cafeteria and get us some drinks. You can stay here and have some girl bonding time," Adrien said jumping out of his seat suddenly, "Is a diet cola ok?"

"S-sure, sounds good," Marinette replied as Adrien skipped to the door, "I won't be long."

After a few minutes alone in the room with the comatose mother of her dance partner/close friend/pseudo roommate/secret crush, Marinette decided that maybe talking to someone who couldn't answer might actually be a good idea.

"Hello Mrs Agreste, my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I'm a friend of Adrien's… Actually he is my partner for the ballet we are performing together. The Dance of the Ladybug. He tells me that we are alike in some cases." She grabbed Mrs Agreste's hand and the words began to flow, "To be honest, I don't think I am worthy of your son, he is such an amazing dancer and person and-" Marinette stopped talking and looked down at her hand that was intertwined with Adrien's mother's.

"Did you just-?" she whispered, shaking her head, "No, it must have been a muscle twitch, you couldn't have just squeezed my hand-" Again she felt the hand move, the pressure light but enough to stop her in mid-sentence.

Marinette couldn't explain what happened next, Mrs Agreste began making little noises in the back of her throat, barely audible and again squeezing Marinette's hand. The pressure was getting stronger each time. After Marinette snapped herself out of her shock she reached with her spare hand for the controller with the help button. She then repeatedly hit the big red nurse button until the nurse, Rebecca as she recalled, burst in through the door.

"What is going on in here?" she demanded, "That button is not a toy young lady!"

"But she is moving!" Mareinette cried, still not letting go of the groaning woman. Nurse Rebecca stopped for a moment, processing what Marinette had said before purposefully walking to the bed checking Mrs Agreste's vitals and she then called for the doctor.

A few short minutes later the Doctor strode into the room, followed closely behind by Adrien and a man Marinette could only assume to be his father.

"What is going on in here?" The doctor demanded, stern faced.

"Mrs Agreste seems to be waking up doctor." Rebecca replied her eyes flicked to Marinette quickly, "I can't explain why though."

"And who is she?" Mr Agreste asked, pointing at Marinette,

"This is Marinette, my friend from ballet," Adrien jumped in, striding to stand next to her.

"A-"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at Mrs Agreste.

"A-ad-"

"Right everyone who is not medically qualified needs to leave the room now." The doctor ordered. Then a little softer, "As soon as I know what is happening Mr Agreste I will let you know." Mr Agreste nodded, his face strained and with look to Adrien and Marinette, he ushered to the two out of the room.

"Marinette, what happened?" Adrien asked. "I was only gone a few minutes."

Marinette shook her head, "I'm not sure myself. I was holding her hand and talking to her, like you suggested and then she started squeezing my hand. Once I noticed it was a deliberate move and not some muscle twitch she started making noises. That is when I called the nurse, because I wasn't sure what was going on."

"Strange that after 10 years of never moving or making noise, 10 minutes with you seemed to wake her," Mr Agreste pondered, "How exactly do you know my son?"

"Mari is my partner from the Kwami Dance Company, Father," Adrien replied, "You know how I am playing Chat Noir? Well she is Ladybug."

Mr Agreste looked Marinette up and down critically and she shifted awkwardly, his stare unnerving her slightly.

"Father, what ar-" Adrien started asking before being silenced with a look from his father.

"You look so much like my wife did at your age, other than the hair and eyes of course, its uncanny." He finally said, "How long have you been a Prima?

"Oh, um this is my first time in a lead role Mr Agreste." She quickly answered, "I have only been with the company 3 years."

"Really? And what about before that?" Mr Agreste queried.

"I was a dancer at my local studio in Chinatown. We studied every type of dance there, not just ballet."

"Hmmm." Was the only response she received.

A few minutes later the door opened and the doctor walked out, "Mr Agreste. I don't know how to tell you this." he started, "But your wife seems to be waking up from her coma."

Mr Agreste's eyes widened at the news "How is it possible? After all this time?"

"There is no medical explanation I'm afraid. I think we just got lucky." He answered, "Now… This process will take some time. We have had to place her in a medically induced coma for the moment. Only to ensure that she wakes up properly," he finished quickly at the double stare he received from both Adrien and his father. "This is a delicate time for her and we need to ensure that her wakening up doesn't cause more issues for her mind."

"How long until she is awake?" Adrien asked, his voice somewhat optimistic.

"I would say a week or so but it will be a long time until she is back to normal provided there is no underlying side effects or damage from the original accident." He explained.

"Thank you doctor." Mr Agreste said before sliding into one of the chairs in the hallway.

"Are you going to be ok Father?" Adrien asked softly.

"Yes Adrien, I just can't believe that after all this time she is coming back to us." he replied, voice soft.

"Do you mind if we head off now? We have a few things to take care of this afternoon." Adrien asked an hour later. The trio had been sitting in the chairs, reminiscing about Mrs Agreste while Marinette sat in awe of this amazing family who had finally received a lucky break.

"No of course not Adrien. I'm sorry if I kept you with all this talking," Mr Agreste apologised, a smile gracing his aged face.

'Don't apologise Father. I'm glad that we got to catch up after so long," Adrien grinned.

"We will have to catch up properly before long, maybe this weekend if you are free?" Mr Agreste suggested.

"That sounds perfect Father. Is tomorrow night ok?" Adrien asked, eager to spend more time with the father that he had missed. "7pm at my apartment?"  
"I'll be there." His father agreed.

After leaving the hospital, Adrien and Marinette decided to catch a cab to their local store to pick up some ingredients for dinner that night. Once they had purchased everything they needed, Marinette suggested they walk back to the apartment through the park for a change of scenery, offering herself a chance to wrap her head around everything that had occurred a few hours before. They had fallen into a peaceful silence when Adrien stopped suddenly turning to face Marinette and grabbing a square box from his pocket. "Mari? I, um, wanted to give you this."

The dark haired girl looked at it suspiciously, "What is it?"

"Just open it," he urged. Carefully she opened the box and gasped. It was a gold key nestled in soft purple velvet.

"Adrien?"

"It's a key to my place, I wanted to give you a copy of your own." He explained, his hands shaking as he drew a breath. "I, uh, also wanted to know if you wanted to be my girlfriend."

Marinette's breath hitched as she heard his words, she looked at the key before lifting her eyes to look into his. "Yes."

Adrien looked confused, "Yes you will move in with me or yes you will be my girlfriend?"

Marinette laughed, "Both silly." She giggled before rising to her toes to kiss him on the lips, her arms draping around his shoulders.

It took Adrien a moment to realise what she had said before he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist holding her tight. They stayed like that for a few minutes before the sky opened up and rain started pouring, drenching the still kissing couple in seconds.

Marinette reluctantly removed herself from the kiss to look up at the sky in annoyance, "I think we should probably get home before we catch colds."

"Yeah good idea Mari." Adrien agreed before turning and pulling her behind him as he sprinted back to their apartment.


End file.
